The female sex loves to keep an all-night vigil. Since, therefore, these women remained at the tomb, the Lord, necessarily meeting them, said: Rejoice, because you have also wept; for those who sow in tears , shall reap in joy. Rejoice, recognize the voice; for I am changed in appearance, not according to the principle of my being, but according to my attire. Rejoice, you women; for there a military guard is lamenting the tomb, not seeing the one in the tomb, they hold the seal, having lost the treasure, they sow silver coins in order to reap a lie. The children of the Jews thought me, the raiser of the dead, to be dead. Let us learn the power of a dead man. For all of you know, you genuine sons of the resurrection, you living luminaries of the world, you who hold forth the word of life, you politarchs of the Jerusalem above, that after the Lord's voluntary burial the chief priests and the Pharisees came to Pilate and said to him: Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' Now, therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day. And Pilate said to them: You have a military guard, make it as secure as you know how. And the Jews, he says, went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone along with the guard. Oh, the fear of a dead man, oh, the trembling of a tomb. The living have feared the dead man; the Jews who turned away from the Lord now sit beside the Lord's tomb, they stationed soldiers at the monument, unwillingly they confess that he who lay there was a king; for soldiers are guards of a king. But, O Pharisees, if Christ the Master was a deceiver, why do you fear the deceiver? Why do you hire soldiers for help? Who ever makes war on a dead man? Who ever arrays himself against a tomb? If Christ the Master, O Jews, was afraid of the seal and the stone and the military guard, he who was lying below in the body, but in no way absent in his divinity, and did not rise from the dead, you rightly call him a deceiver. But if he rose, as he said, why do you entreat Pilate? Do you not rather understand the scriptures? For did the Lord say only during his incarnation, "After three days I will rise"? Hear him, O Jews, how many years before through the prophet Zephaniah he foreknew and foretold the future resurrection, so that you may know that the matter is not new but the prize is ancient. Hear him speaking to the assembly of the gentiles through Zephaniah the prophet; for it is good at the resurrection to set forth the things of the resurrection. What then does the Lord say to the assembly of the gentiles? To the Jewish synagogue he has given a bill of divorce, but to the gentile one he has dictated a dowry of grace. Wait for me, says the Lord, until the day of my resurrection for a testimony, because my light is for the assembly of the gentiles. What will you say to these things, O Jew, you who hold the letter and kick against the spirit? Who says, "Wait for me until the day of my resurrection"? Was it David, or was this said concerning David? But what is said is false; for these things were said after David; and besides, David was king of the Israelites, not a guide of the gentiles. But if the children of the Jews—for their tribe is warlike—contentiously argue that it was said of David, let them hear that not only were these things not prophesied concerning David, but David himself, singing many years before about the Lord's resurrection in the flesh, said: His soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. If these things were truly said, O Jews, why do you hire soldiers to steal the resurrection? Who shuts up the sun in a tomb? Hear him, O children of the Jews, through Isaiah the prophet reproaching you and your father the devil and

φιλοπαννύχιον τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ὑπάρχει γένος. Ἐπεὶ οὖν αὗται παρέμειναν ἐν τῷ τάφῳ, ἀναγκαίως συναντήσας αὐτὰς ὁ κύριος ἔφη· Χαίρετε, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐκλαύσατε· οἱ γὰρ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν , ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θεριοῦσιν. Χαίρετε, τὴν φωνὴν γνωρίσατε· τὸ σχῆμα γὰρ παρήλλαγμαι, οὐ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ὑπάρξεως λόγον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀμφιάσεως. Χαίρετε, γυναῖκες ὑμεῖς· ἐκεῖ γὰρ στρατιωτικὴ κουστωδία κόπτεται τὸν τάφον τὸν ἐν τῷ τάφῳ μὴ ὁρῶντες, τὴν σφραγῖδα κατέχουσι τὸν θησαυρὸν ἀπολέσαντες, ἀργύρια σπείρουσιν ἵνα τὸ ψεῦδος θερίσωσιν. Ἔδοξάν με τεθνάναι Ἰουδαίων παῖδες τὸν τῶν νεκρῶν ἐγέρτην. Μάθωμεν νεκροῦ δύναμιν. Ἴστε γὰρ πάντες ὑμεῖς οἱ γνήσιοι τῆς ἀναστάσεως υἱοί, οἱ ἔμψυχοι τοῦ κόσμου φωστῆρες, οἱ λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες, οἱ τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιτάρχαι, ὅτιπερ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἑκούσιον ταφὴν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ φαρισαῖοι προσελθόντες τῷ Πιλάτῳ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἐμνήσθημεν ὅτι ὁ πλάνος ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν· Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι. Νῦν οὖν κέλευσον ἀσφαλισθῆναι τὸν τάφον ἕως τρίτης ἡμέρας. Ὁ δὲ Πιλᾶτος πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἔχετε κουστωδίαν στρατιωτικήν, ὡς οἴδατε ποιήσατε. Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀπελθόντες φησὶν ἠσφαλίσαντο τὸν τάφον σφραγίσαντες τὸν λίθον μετὰ τῆς κουστωδίας. Ὦ νεκροῦ φόβος, ὧ τάφου τρόμος. Οἱ ζῶντες τὸν νεκρὸν δεδοίκασιν, οἱ ἀποστρεφόμενοι τὸν κύριον Ἰουδαῖοι νῦν τὸν τάφον τοῦ κυρίου παρακαθέζονται, στρατιώτας παρεκατέστησαν τῷ μνήματι, ἄκοντες ὁμολογοῦσιν ὅτι βασιλεὺς ἦν ὁ κατακείμενος· στρατιῶται γὰρ βασιλέως φρουροί. Ἀλλ' ὦ φαρισαῖοι, εἰ πλάνος ἦν ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός, τί δεδοίκατε τὸν πλάνον; Τί στρατιώτας μισθοῦσθε εἰς βοήθειαν; Τίς νεκρὸν ποτὲ πολεμεῖ; Τίς ποτὲ τάφον ἀντιπαρατάττεται; Εἰ ἐφοβήθη, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς τὴν σφραγῖδα καὶ τὸν λίθον καὶ τὴν κουστωδίαν τὴν στρατιωτικήν, ὁ κάτω μὲν τῷ σώματι κείμενος, μηδαμοῦ δὲ ἀπολειπόμενος τῇ θεότητι, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, καλῶς καλεῖτε πλάνον. Εἰ δὲ ἀνέστη, καθὼς εἶπεν, τί Πιλᾶτον παρακαλεῖτε; Οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τὰς γραφὰς κατανοεῖτε; Μὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἐνανθρωπήσει μόνον εἶπεν ὁ κύριος ὅτι Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι; Ἀκούσατε αὐτοῦ, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι πρὸ πολλῶν τῶν χρόνων διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Σοφονίου προεγνώρισε καὶ προέλεγε τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀνάστασιν, ἵνα γνῶτε ὅτι οὐ νεαρὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀλλὰ παλαιὸν τὸ βράβευμα. Ἀκούσατε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν συναγωγὴν διὰ Σοφονίου τοῦ προφήτου· καλὸν γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως προβάλλεσθαι. Τί οὖν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν συναγωγήν; Τῇ Ἰουδαϊκῇ συναγωγῇ βιβλίον δέδωκεν ἀποστασίου, τῇ δὲ ἐθνικῇ προϊκῷον χάριτος ὑπηγόρευσεν. Ὑπόμεινόν με, λέγει κύρι ος, εἰς ἡμέραν ἀναστάσεώς μου εἰς μαρτύριον, διότι τὸ φῶς μου εἰς συναγωγὴν ἐθνῶν. Τί ἐρεῖς πρὸς ταῦτα, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ὁ τὸ γράμμα κατέχων καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα λακτίζων; Τίς λέγει ὅτι Ὑπόμεινόν με εἰς ἡμέραν ἀναστάσεώς μου; Μὴ ἆρα ∆αυῒδ ἢ εἰς τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἴρηται τοῦτο; Ἀλλὰ ψεῦδος τὸ λεγόμενον· μετὰ γὰρ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ταῦτα ἐλέχθη· ἄλλως τε δὲ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἦν βασιλεύς, οὐχὶ δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν καθηγητής. Εἰ δὲ φιλονεικοῦσιν Ἰουδαίων παῖδεςπολεμικὸν γὰρ τὸ τούτων φῦλον ὅτι εἰς τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἴρηται, ἀκουσάτωσαν ὅτι οὐ μόνον ταῦτα οὐκ εἰς τὸν ∆αυῒδ προεφητεύετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυῒδ περὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου τοῦ κυρίου ἀναστάσεως πρὸ πολλῶν τῶν χρόνων κελαδῶν ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἐγκατελείφθη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην οὐδὲ ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ εἶδε διαφθοράν. Εἰ ταῦτα ἀληθῶς εἴρηται, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, τί στρατιώτας μισθοῦσθε ἵνα τὴν ἀνάστασιν κλέψητε; Ἥλιον τάφῳ ἐναποκλείει τίς; Ἀκούσατε αὐτοῦ, ὦ Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦπροφήτου ὀνειδίζοντος ὑμᾶς καὶ τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν διάβολον καὶ